Wathiq al-Battat

An Iraqi Shiite militia leader and political figure who founded the pro-Iranian Shiite militia, the Mukhtar Army, in February 2013. Previously, he held a senior position in the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq and is known for his loyalty to Iran's Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolution. He rose to prominence after 2003, portraying himself as a defender of Iraq's Shiite majority while demonstrating unwavering allegiance to Iran's leadership. In 2014, reports claimed he was killed, but he later reappeared publicly. In 2024, he criticized Iran's policy for preventing his militia and other Iraqi Shiite militias from joining the fight on the ground with Hezbollah in Lebanon during the fight against Israel following Hassan Nasrallah's assassination.